Verb

What is verb?
• are the action words in a sentence that
describe what the subject is doing.
 Regular Verb

• are form class words having distinctions for a

stem, a third person singular and a present
participle.
Example:
3RD
BASE PERSON PRESENT
SINGULAR PARTICIPLE
(-s) (-ing)

look looks looking

talk talks talking

want wants wanting

 Verb Inflections
3rd PERSON PRESENT PAST
SINGULAR PARTICIPLE PAST TENSE PARTICIPLE
BASE (-S) (-ing) (-ed) (-ed)

look looks looking looked looked

talk talks talking talked talked

want wants wanting wanted wanted

walk walks walking walked walked

 Irregular Verb
• verbs show differences in the past tense and
past participle forms from regular verbs.
1. Some verbs have an ablaut or internal
vowel change, taking an {-a-} for the past
tense and an {-u-} for the past participle.
 Example:
3rd PERSON PRESENT PAST
BASE SINGULAR PARTICIPLE PAST TENSE PARTICIPLE

begin begins beginning began begun

drink drinks drinking drank drunk

sing sings singing sang sung

swim swims swimming swam swum

2. In other verbs we have an ablaut or internal
vowel change in the past tense and usually a
similar change in the past participle, but not
always the same vowel. We add an inflectional
-(e)n suffix to the past participle.
 3rd PERSON PRESENT PAST
BASE SINGULAR PARTICIPLE PAST TENSE PARTICIPLE

awake awakes awaking awoke awoken

fall falls falling fell fallen

rise rises rising rose risen

3. The past tense and past participle
frequently have identical forms in some verbs,
ending with a (-t) or (-d) suffix.
 3rd PERSON PRESENT PAST
BASE SINGULAR PARTICIPLE PAST TENSE PARTICIPLE

feel feels feeling felt felt

get gets getting got got

sell sells selling sold sold

4. Other verbs have identical forms for the
base, past tense, and past participle.
 3rd PERSON PRESENT PAST
BASE SINGULAR PARTICIPLE PAST TENSE PARTICIPLE

bid bids bidding bid bid

cut cuts cutting cut cut

bet bets betting bet bet

Finite VS. Non-finite verbs
Finite Verbs
-express tense and are marked for person
and number.

Non-finite verbs
-express aspect and voice.
 VERB PARADIGM VERB FORMS STATUS

base drive Finite

3rd person singular drives Finite

past tense drove Finite

present participle driving Non-finite

past participle driven Non-finite

 Finite forms of verbs
-they can be contrasted for tense (present
and past), and marked for person (1st, 2nd
and 3rd) and number (singular and plural).

a) I drive a car. [1ST PERSON, SINGULAR,

PRESENT TENSE]
b) He drove a car. [3RD PERSON, SINGULAR,
PAST TENSE]
 Non-finite verbs
- it requires an auxiliary verb to express
tense, person and number.

a) I am driving a car. (Singular, present

participle)
b) He had driven a car. (3rd person singular, past
participle)
Infinitives, Participles and
Gerunds
Infinitives
- base form of verbs not limited by person,
number, mood or tense. We easily recognize
infinitives as the base verbs preceded by the
participle to.

a) I had the opportunity to ask him about this

apparent change.
Participles
-the present participle ending in –ing and the past
participle in its various forms are also used to
qualify a noun and verbs.

a) “The fog came pouring in at every chink and

keyhole.” (-ing Present participle qualifying a
verb)
b) “In one, she said, an outgoing, academically
gifted 12-year-old began failing classes.” ( -ed Past
participle qualifying a noun.
Gerunds
-The -ing or present participle form of the verb is
also used as a gerund to name actions, behaviors
or states, sometimes called a verbal noun.

a)” The temptations he warded off in the

wilderness had to do with smoking and
drinking.”
Transitive, Intransitive and
Linking Verb
Transitive verb
- transitive verbs take objects, that is, at least one
noun or its substitute, functioning as an object.

a)Transitive verb with an object

“Hackett even devised his own test for
Pennington.”
b) Transitive verb with two objects
“ I can give your question a direct answer easily
enough.”
Intransitive Verb
designate a verb or verb construction
characterized by not having or containing a
direct object.

a) Intransitive verbs without a complement.

“ And then the curious thing happened.”
b) Intransitive verbs with a complement.
“One should focus on efficient causes.”
Linking Verb
-express states rather than actions. Their
primary function is to relate the subject of a
sentence/clauses to its compliment, which
follows it.

Two groups of linking verb

1. True linking verb
2. At times linking verb
1.True linking verb
- any form of verb be(am, is, are, was,
were, has been,
are being, might have been, etc.), become
and seem.

2. At times linking verb

- appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain,
smell, sound, taste and turn.
a) Used as linking verb
“The policy now is to do whatever council
members feel fit to do.”
b) Used as transitive verb
“In the process, we become the very thing we
hate.”
c) Used as Intransitive verb
“The article appeared in the Christian Century,
June 18-25, 1986.”